


Let Down Your Hair

by LittleUggie



Series: Evil Author Day [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Evil Author Day, M/M, Rapunzel Elements, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleUggie/pseuds/LittleUggie
Summary: Rapunzel, Merlin style.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Evil Author Day [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635586
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Let Down Your Hair

Once upon a time there was a boy born with a powerful magic. From the cradle, he was able to move objects without touching them, create floating lights, make plants grow, and many other wonders. 

Unfortunately, he lived in a kingdom ruled by a king who hated magic. During what was known as the Great Purge, he hunted down and executed any magic users or magical creatures he could find. Rightly afraid for their child, the boy’s parents fled to a neighboring kingdom, but even there the King’s hatred began to spread. 

As the boy grew, his power grew, also. Though the family tried to keep it secret, the magic would still come out. Despairing, his mother wrote to a wise family friend in code, asking for advice. He responded with directions to an ancient, secluded tower on the edge of the kingdom. It had once been the fortress of a kind fairy and sealed with many magic protections. As long as a person intends no harm, they can stay within the tower. 

So the boy’s parents secret him away to the tower, and they lived there happily. Whie the fear of discovery was still there, they felt much more secure within the walls of the tower.

Soon enough the boy was no longer a boy, but a young man on the cusp of adulthood. His parents, seeing this, decided it was time for them to move out of the tower to allow him a measure of independence. Of course, they still came to visit, and would bring him news of the outside world. But, being a curious and personable young man, he began to grow lonely and bored. A combination sure to cause trouble. 

Merlin sat in the window at the top of the tower, looking out on the surrounding forest. There is a tangle of thick vines and brambles creating a wall that encircled the tower, leaving a small grassy area at the base that he used as a garden. Only the highest window had a view over the wall, and Merlin spent many hours intently looking over the treetops dreaming about what lay beyond. 

On this particular day, Merlin is feeling more restless than usual. Books lay open on the table where he had been listlessly flipping through them. His bed was rumpled, and the remains of his breakfast sat gathering flies near the wash basin. He could easily use his magic to clean, but even the thought fueled his obstinacy. Also, his magic was buzzing annoyingly, making his skin feel too tight. He got down from the window, and paced around the tower. The uppermost story was a round turret with a loft where he slept. Below there was a table, chairs, bookshelf, garderobe (sectioned off of course, and leading, through some clever magic, directly to the compost heap), and small food preparation area. The magic woven throughout the tower liked Merlin, he barely had to think and the spells would activate. The water from the well would appear in the basin or tub, piping hot. The cupboards cooled or heated on their own depending on the food put in them, saving the need for a stove.

He goes to the top of the staircase that spiraled around the core of the tower, standing still while the case slowly revolved and descended. One story down was where his parents had slept when they still lived there. Now there was a desk and several more bookshelves. Merlin’s father had tried to collect as many magic books as he could at the beginning of the Great Purge. In addition to that, his mother wanted him to get a “well rounded” education, which in his sulkier moments, Merlin scoffed at, how much of an education does he need stuck in a tower? Nonetheless, there were also books of history, poetry, languages, mathematics, religion both old and new, and many, many stories. 

The stairs continued down to the bottom story, which was mostly empty, with a few gardening tools, and some detritus that had migrated from the upper floors. He unbars and opens the heavy oak door, blinking as he steps out from the relative gloom of the tower into the bright sunshine.


End file.
